r/calculators Oct 19 '25

Discussion r/calculators FAQ

15 Upvotes

Hey guys, this isn't fully finished, and i may add more in the future. Tell me what you think about this one in the comments, feedback is always incredible

Q: How to convert fractions to decimals?

A: On older casio calculators, you press the S<=> D button. it should be next to the parentheses, on the right side. On Casio CW series calculators, it should be the "FORMAT" key, which is next to the EXE button. On Sharp, it's called "CHANGE" and "f<>d" on TI. It may be different with others

Q: Why am i getting a wrong answer?

A: You may be in the wrong angle mode, or you don't know how the order of operations work

Q: What calculator should i choose?

A: Depends on your school or your countries regulation. Some schools or countries only permit certain calculators, or forbid certain ones. Germany for example, accepts everything but it can't have a solver, can't be programmable and can't do graphing. For short, we are limited to the fx-87 and below.

Q: Why is my TI-84 bootlooping and showing "Validating OS"?

A: This is a known battery issue with the TI-84 Plus CE. You need to replace the battery. Contact TI support, you may get a free battery under warranty. Also check the other pinned post for more details

Q: Is my Casio fx-991EX fake?

A: Probably, it was discontinued a few years ago. Most listings you see online are fake, and i advise you to stay away from it. There's a lot of other good calculators out there. To check if it's real, scan the QR code. To do that, press "MENU -> SHIFT -> OPTN" to generate a QR code. It should redirect you to a Casio website, where you can do an authenticity check.

Q: Why am i getting an error?

A: You may not be in the right mode, check if you‘re in the normal calculation mode. Your calculator should have a button that says "MODE" or something similar. For exponents, use the negative sign instead of the minus sign. It should look like this: (-)

Q: Why is my Casio's "ON" button lowered?

A: That's intentional, to prevent accidental button presses

Q: Can I mod/install Doom on my scientific calculator?

A: Yes, if you‘re willing to remove the epoxy from the CPU, de-solder the CPU, solder a fitting CPU with integrated memory back on, code a fully working operating system with working keyboard, and code a port of Doom for it, you could… in theory. Never been done before, probably still won‘t work. TL;DR: Not worth your time, focus on your linear algebra homework instead

Q: Does this calculator have a CAS (Computer Algebra System)? Can one be installed on my calculator?

A: see the pinned post about CAS calcs

Also: Google (and your calculator‘s Manual) are your best friends. Before making a post, look up your question on Google, or read the Manual. There's a 95% chance that your answer will be found there. We've also pinned posts for a few topics, read those too please.

That's it with the FAQ for now. Keep in mind that i may remove posts that can be answered by the FAQ or Google, this is a step to reduce spam and repetitive posts. Thanks.

~u/nqrwayy


r/calculators Oct 21 '25

Solution: TI-84 Plus CE Flashing 'Validating OS'

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5 Upvotes

r/calculators 13h ago

Collection My little Kink.

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89 Upvotes

This is my current collection

6xhp48gx all in operational state.

1x hp32sII ( i bought for 5 euros in garage sale) fully operational too.

And some few books i bought on leboncoin

One of the hp48 is the one i bought new in 1995 during high school.

My deepest sorrow is that im unable to find memory card for cheap.


r/calculators 19h ago

Collection I may have a problem…

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66 Upvotes

So over the last couple years I’ve been buying cheap busted up Voyagers (10s, 11s, 15s, and 16s) and replacing the screens with those from donor 12s. I finally put them all together in one place and realized I might have gotten carried away :)
(The 10C in the upper left is up next, but it’s a black diaper, which are harder to swap and harder to find donors for.)


r/calculators 22h ago

Other Finally Got a graphing calculator

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53 Upvotes

I got the ti-84 evo on a good sale. It is so much better than using desmo.


r/calculators 9h ago

Question What are some good calculators

1 Upvotes

Hello guys I wanna now what are some good Graphic Calculators with Colorful
Screens I wanna buy some of them just to know how they are comparing
You can send me pictures of them as well so I can choose thank you
Living in Germany and going to school


r/calculators 9h ago

Announcement I built an open-source, MIT licensed math workbench with symbolic capabilities that refuses to pretend every problem has a solution

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0 Upvotes

r/calculators 18h ago

Announcement SWISSMICROS ALERT!

3 Upvotes

Just an alert to anybody who may not know about Swissmicros's new website or their RPN/RPL calculators at all, they're currently being sold on their new website on this link right down below. They have limited stock, so get yours before they run out, though I believe they've restocked a good amount recently. They're currently the best physical Scientific RPN/RPL calculators on the market beating out old classic HP Calcs in their reimaginings with more features and capabilities then ever before with a lot better hardware. They are pricey, but they're of very high quality.

FYI: They may sometimes have hardware issues upon receiving the calculator, shipping may wreck it, handling may mess it up somehow, maybe the producers themselves had a faulty piece..either way, if you have an issue, contact them, they'll be very glad to get you a refund, or replacement/fix @[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

https://www.swissmicros.com/en/shop


r/calculators 18h ago

Question Casio fx-350EX or Canon F-789SGA?

3 Upvotes

I'm a civil engineering student (freshman), and I'm currently stuck between these two calculators. I can't decide what to choose because they both have pros and cons. Casio is faster, meanwhile, Canon is more advanced and has many functions. Help me choose, please T_T


r/calculators 23h ago

Help Cheapest calc with persistence

5 Upvotes

Hey there! So, after a lot of years with my beloved HP calcs (20s, 48gx, 50G, Prime) I'm in need of a new one. The 20s has stains on the display which are getting bigger by the time, the 48gx is slow and cumbersome for what I do (and some keys are starting to fail), the 50G is developing the issue of vertical dead lines which are on the right side so stack is invisible, and the Prime is being used by the girl, who uses for teaching. So, I need a new calc. I don't have huge requirements really.

  • Portable, smaller than the 48 and 50, ideally smaller than the Prime too
  • Persistence: if I power it off or if it auto powers off, I want to get back to the exact place where I was (this is something I always missed on my 20S compared with all the rest).
  • Stats: quick descriptive stats on univariate datasets (mean, mode, average, median, q3, q1, min, max, range, interquartile range if possible too). Combination, permutation, etc., are all basic functions which should be present on any calc that responds to the above.
  • Cheap (else I would just get another Prime, this one will be carried with me, who knows where it will fall inside my backpack).
  • Ideally a good "stack" (memory of the last calculations) and ability to just edit a given one and run it again.
  • If it has a solver, that can solve for any variable in the equation, it would be perfect
  • Preferably textbook entry (lazy here since I learnt RPN)
  • Backlight, but that's a rara avis.

I don't need it to be particularly speedy since as you can see, I'm not doing numeric integration or complex calculus.

So far the only thing that I've found is the Sharp EL W506T. Apparently it saves pretty much everything, which is great. It is slower than a casio 991EX and here in my country it's more expensive, but looks like except for backlight, ticks all the boxes.

I could get a TI 36X Pro for almost the same price, but I never used a TI calc before (they're kinda rare here), not sure but looks way bigger, and I don't know the features it has beside the website, which is... not good since TI has the school business for them so all the info looks related to using the calc in the US educational system.

Any input will be more than welcomed!

PS: I'm in Argentina. Calcs are very rare. Just some TI, some HPs, and pretty much any Casio.


r/calculators 1d ago

Meme / Satire I know the calculator better than my maths teacher

10 Upvotes

During summer break last year, we got our first calculators for school. We had gotten it with a user manual. Well, I was bored, so I studied the manual, and this year it has helped me a lot. I didn't need to create a dice, I used my calculator. I was able to check my answers with variables only using my number based calculator, and so much more, lol. She didn't know about any of these, despite having the same calculator for 8 years

Edit: It is not about telling that I am smarter than my teacher, it is about showing that there is always more to learn, even when you have done something for very long


r/calculators 1d ago

Question Has anyone else experienced the same issue?

2 Upvotes

Hello, I'm using a Casio 120ST calculator, and it no longer turns on unless the solar panel is directly exposed to light. I thought the battery was already drained, so I replaced it with a new one. However, even after replacing the battery, it still doesn't work properly.

Does anyone know what else I can try to fix it? Or can anyone recommend a place where I can have it repaired?


r/calculators 1d ago

Question Is a 1.0b1 ROM Version TI 92 Rare?

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2 Upvotes

r/calculators 2d ago

Collection Spot the fake fx-991EX

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64 Upvotes

r/calculators 1d ago

Question Is Casio FX-9910CW-W-IT Scientific Calculator Model of Casio is Language Locked to Italian and can We change Menu to English and if Yes How ?

0 Upvotes

r/calculators 2d ago

Discussion Je rejoins la team HP

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88 Upvotes

Hello, pour un retour à l’école dans ma 36eme année, il me fallait une petite calculatrice scientifique m, et mon choix c’est porté sur cette petite HP-32s de 1987…même elle, est plus vieille que moi. Je trouve l’utilisation du RPN logique et simple, puis les jeunes ne me l’empreinteront pas😅


r/calculators 1d ago

Question How do proctors know if CAS is disabled? TI Nspire CX CAS II

4 Upvotes

It's allowed in the IB, with the requirement that CAS be disabled
Problem is how do the proctors check? Do they check one-by-one? What if I enable it during the exam?


r/calculators 3d ago

Other Joined the TI gang.

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68 Upvotes

Somehow my trusty Casio perished after 15 years living in Canada and my entire high-school career in Venezuela.

So today I got this one for 15 bucks on sale. Tips and tricks are always welcomed.


r/calculators 2d ago

Question Have there been any changes in hardware or quality since Moravia took over HP Prime G2 production?

5 Upvotes

r/calculators 3d ago

Other Texas Instruments Concept III

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30 Upvotes

r/calculators 2d ago

Question Is there a way to emulate Ti-Nspires on a phone running android 16?

2 Upvotes

Tried using the firebird emulator but I can't run it for some reason


r/calculators 3d ago

Collection Found at value village

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53 Upvotes

Nice ti-83 plus, works fine and is in great shape, I was hoping to get one of these eventually


r/calculators 3d ago

Question What are people's experiences with RPN on the HP Prime G2?

6 Upvotes

I want to pickup an HP Prime G2. Some people are claiming RPN on this calculator is a bridge too far.

FWIW - my point of comparison for RPN (and obviously not graphing or other text or spreadsheet-like functions) would be the HP-28S.


r/calculators 3d ago

Other Wild Hp Prime spotted

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33 Upvotes

For a good price too


r/calculators 4d ago

Discussion Calculator UI Is More Complex Than You Might Think

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19 Upvotes